Los Angeles FC scored three goals in the opening 12 minutes, including two of three in the match from Denis Bouanga, and rolled to a 4-2 victory over the host San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Santa Clara, Calif.
Son Hueng-Min scored in the opening minute for LAFC (12-7-8, 44 points), which won after its six-game unbeaten run was ended with a loss to Western Conference-leading San Diego FC on Aug. 31, just before the international break.
Hugo Lloris made three saves for LAFC, which remains in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Preston Judd scored a goal for the Earthquakes (9-13-8, 35 points), who were playing at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, and drew a crowd of 50,978. Daniel made two saves for San Jose, which was clinging to the ninth and final playoff spot in the West at the start of play Saturday.
Son created a quick stir of the large crowd with a right-footed goal into a wide-open goal off a centering pass from Artem Smolyakov. It was Son’s second goal in five games (four starts) since transferring from Tottenham of the English Premier League.
Bouanga scored his first goal eight minutes later after forcing a turnover on the LAFC side of the field and taking the ball nearly two-thirds of the pitch to shoot past Daniel. Another three minutes later, Bouanga scored again off a pass from Sergi Palencia.
Bouanga put the game away with a goal in the 87th minute, with his third goal giving him 20 on the season.
Judd kept up the hot early pace when he scored in the 18th minute off a pass from former LAFC forward Cristian Arango. It was Judd’s seventh goal of the season. LAFC gave up an own goal in the 90th minute when Palencia deflected a cross into his own net.
While San Jose has four games remaining in the regular season, a busy summer schedule that included the CONCACAF Champions Cup and FIFA Club World Cup has left LAFC with seven matches remaining.
–Field Level Media
